Olympic photographers are kept in the dark

Sports photographers preparing for the Olympics are growing increasingly worried that they may not have enough light to take decent pictures - because the Olympic venues are being lit to suit television cameras that operate at much lower light levels.

Until 10 years ago there was no problem. Photographers were happy with the lighting which the old tube television cameras needed. But over the past decade, extremely light-sensitive, charged-couple devices have replaced the tube in television cameras. CCD cameras need only 70 per cent of the light traditional cameras required. Although there have been improvements in films and lenses, stills cameras still need more light than CCD TV cameras.

Eileen Langsley, the official photographer to the International Gymnastics Federation and past chairman of the Professional Sports Photographers' Association, says she anticipates problems in Barcelona. 'The dress rehearsal events last year met with thumbs down from many photographers,' she says. A ...

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